Tom Emmer endorses Trump in unified show of support from top four House Republicans

EXCLUSIVE — House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) endorsed former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, giving him the endorsement of the top four House Republicans going into the Iowa caucus later this month.

In a statement obtained by the Washington Examiner, Emmer said it is clear that Democrats are trying any way possible to keep President Joe Biden as president and that Republicans need to coalesce together behind Trump.

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“Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power. We cannot let them. It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear front-runner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for president,” Emmer said in the statement.

With Emmer’s endorsement, Trump has now been endorsed by the top four Republicans in the House. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) endorsed Trump on Tuesday, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) endorsed Trump earlier in the primary.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

This is the third straight presidential cycle that Emmer has endorsed Trump, having done so in 2016 and 2020.

When he was chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2022 cycle, Emmer worked closely with Trump and praised him for helping Republicans win back the House.

“President Trump has been a tremendous partner in our efforts to fire Nancy Pelosi, and we are very pleased to see him making investments in the midterms,” Emmer told Breitbart in September 2022. “The American people are fed up with Joe Biden and Democrats’ record of rising prices, lawless cities, and a southern border that has been completely overrun by drug cartels.”

However, when the Minnesota Republican ran for speaker earlier this year after the ouster of former California GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy, some of Trump’s allies tried to ensure he did not get the position despite Emmer’s past loyalty to the former president.

In the end, Emmer withdrew from the race after it became clear he would not win, something Trump reportedly took credit for afterward.

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Emmer’s endorsement of Trump, along with the other members of House leadership, follow the trend of senior Republicans falling in line behind the former president as it becomes clear that he is likely going to be the party’s nominee to face Biden in the general election.

According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Trump, whose average is at 62.5%, has a 51-point lead on his next closest competitors, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who are both at 11.2%.